“…When the Obama administration is over, black people will have lost ground in every single leading economic indicator category.” — Tavis Smiley, liberal black radio talk-show host.
The black unemployment rate is 12.5 percent. According to Census Bureau figures, the poverty rate for blacks increased from 12 percent in 2008 to 16.1 percent last month; and median income declined by 3.6 percent for white households to $58,000, but fell 10.9 percent to $33,500 for black households. Where’s Obama’s pen and phone when we need it?
A recent viral video showed blacks in Chicago (Barack’s adopted hometown) expressing their frustration with Obama. One man said if Obama can’t help create jobs, he should “cut off his presidency and quit!” For blacks who are fed up with false hope, here are 5 things they can do to succeed (despite Obama):
1. Seek God first (not necessarily in church). The church has always played a central role in the lives of black Americans. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a product of that tradition. Unfortunately, misguided preachers who’ve been called by their mama—not by God—today head most black churches. You don’t have to go to church to find God. To put God first means you pray quietly every morning and read Scripture so you can develop a mind that will, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”—Matthew 6:33
2. Get married and don’t have kids out of wedlock. The high illegitimacy rate among blacks is a relatively new trend. As late as 1950, black women were more likely to be married than white women, and only 9 percent of black families with children were headed by a single parent. Today the black out-of-wedlock birth rate is an alarming 72 percent!
Growing up on a plantation in Alabama during the 1950s, even though the laws were against us (Jim Crow, etc.), blacks, for the most part, loved God, worked hard, and got married. Nowadays, the two-parent black family is almost extinct. Yet you don’t hear civil rights groups addressing this crisis. Why not?
Black men must stop making babies out of wedlock. Black women need to stop being promiscuous. As Heritage Foundation scholar Robert Rector has noted, “Illegitimacy is a major factor in America’s crime problem. Lack of married parents, rather than race or poverty, is the principle factor in the crime rate.”
3. Get over your blackness. After the assassination of Dr. King in 1968, the civil rights movement was co-opted by the Socialist wing of the Democratic Party. So-called ‘leaders’ like Jesse Jackson, the NAACP, the Congressional Black Caucus, and Al Sharpton, with the aid of the media, convinced blacks that color trumps character. While their ‘leaders’ have profited, the average black is wallowing in despair.
These black ‘leaders’ promote racism, welfare, and public education for the masses, while their kids attend the finest private schools and get great jobs. I often wonder why blacks don’t question how these people became so successful if there is so much “systemic racism”? The hatred that most blacks harbor toward whites is impeding their spiritual and economic growth.
4. Get an education. The late, great Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee Institute, was spot-on with his practical approach that incorporated classroom learning with working with the hands (trades). My nonprofit Organization BOND (Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny) has started a private school—BOND Academy (grades 1-12, for boys & girls) modeled after Washington’s approach.
In my work with families and with schools, I know that public education—especially in the inner cities—is awful! Half of the black male high school students drop out. Far-Left teachers attempt to indoctrinate the remaining students.
Despite the obvious breakdown, the Obama Administration is working to kill the implementation of Louisiana’s tuition voucher program as they did in Washington D.C. These programs provide low-income families with the financial resources to enroll their children in the school of their choice. More black parents should support school choice or home school!
5. Work hard and start a business. The Obama administration is blocking opportunities and jobs. One example is the administration’s delay in approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The $7 billion pipeline would carry oil from tar sands in western Canada to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast, creating thousands of jobs. Blacks should be flocking to states like Texas and North Dakota to seek out these jobs.
In the 1930’s and 40’s blacks had thriving businesses. Blacks need to become entrepreneurs again.
Twenty-four years ago, I started a nonprofit organization (BOND)- after God allowed me to see that my problem was not due to the white man holding me back, but rather because of unresolved resentment and anger I had toward my parents. I wanted to share this news, which was the catalyst for starting BOND. This month BOND is celebrating its 24th anniversary and we’ve never received a dime of government money!
The above things don’t require an executive order from Obama—but they do require commitment and hard work. If black Americans did these 5 things, they can change their destiny and do well despite this president.
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson is the founder and president of BOND (Brotherhood Organization Of A New Destiny), and BOND Action.
